Athletes And The Importance Of Mental Resilience

Mental resilience is a quality needed by all athletes. Mental resilience refers to toughness and determination to become the best; qualities that describe a mentally strong and successful athlete. Even though technique and strength are equally important to athletic improvement, it is the ability to stay motivated and focused which transforms athletes to champions.

Definition of Mental Resilience

What is mental resilience? How does it relate to sports and athleticism? Is it trainable? Mental resilience refers to understanding, and being able to use your psychological skills in order to consistently execute decision-making and physical skills learned in training (or by experience). This is an ability that doesn’t apply only once a week or a month and so on, but on a daily basis during high stress or even serious situations. The main point however is the fact that it can be learned and trained.

How does this relate to sports and athleticism though? Intense workouts or physical tests may not be the most effective option for helping athletes improve their mental resilience. That is due to the fact that resilience is not practiced before tested. An MMA athlete isn’t likely to improve his kick’s speed by working only in the weight room, and never practicing in the dojo. This is where athletes and coaches may miss the essence; mental resilience is a skill that needs to be practiced, honed, and improved.

Even though it may be difficult to define mental resilience when related to sports and athletes, we can still showcase the skills that are needed to develop it in ourselves and athletes in general.

Regulate Emotions

Being able to independently control emotions like excitability and relaxation. Different athletes perform better when in an excited state, while others when in a relaxed state of mind. Each athlete has their one way of performing at best however specific activities or sports may need a different optimal level. This simply means that the athlete needs the ability to regulate these levels depending on the sports’ requirements.

Focus and Concentrate

Being able to constantly give full attention to the task or activity at hand is of critical essence in stressful situations, like competitions or important events. Focus can be improved using a variety of techniques that aid in drawing an athlete's concentration to intrinsic cues as well as via the consumption of natural stimulants or supplements.

Visualise Performance

Being able to visualize performance specific to a task, activity, or sport. Promoting a mental state of success and certainty in the weight room or practice field can improve an athlete’s commitment to their athletic goals and objectives. Whether it’s a short training session or a longer period of consecutive hard training, coaches and athletes should equip with the right mental tools for success.

Self-Talk

Being able to control the inner-voice is a valuable performance tool, not only in sports but in everyday life as well. Positive internal messages about one’s self (and even their teammates, if in a team) have the ability to efficiently tackle problems and is critical for mental resilience.

Set Goals

Setting goals may sound a simple task, however it’s very important in influencing mental toughness. Being able to develop and follow a journey of checkpoints by setting short- and long-term performance objectives will certainly help athletes practice their mental resilience skills.

These skills however would need to be developed proactively and not reactively. The reason behind this is that in most cases mental toughness is applied only after a big game or even a loss; following and meeting goals can help athletes prepare for all outcomes and most certainly for achieving success.

Mental Resilience in Everyday Life

Mental resilience skills are not only important in strength and conditioning, but also outside of the weight room. Even tough an athlete may not be practising or training for a competition, developing strong mental toughness will prove to be essential through the flow of life. The incredible effect of this kind of training is that resilience is developed and improved which can be applied to personal and family situations as well as to everyday jobs, other than sports.

Mental resilience can maximise performance but its benefits can cover other parts of our lives as well. Thinking positively and effectively responding to stress will not only improve athletic performance, but also promote a healthier and consistent lifestyle.

Mastering mental resilience will undoubtedly be a difficult task. Determination, focus and motivation are needed throughout the whole journey. Fused Reaction™ is a natural brain supplement that can improve focus, concetration and energy levels; all, necessary skills to reach your athletic goals while performing at optimum performance.